Where Our Demons Hide
by lana-ismyqueen
Summary: "I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you, but with the beast inside, there's nowhere we can hide." When Snow and Emma don't make it back through the portal, Regina's kiss is the one to wake David, and the two pick up the pieces of their broken hearts together. But when Cora arrives in town five years later, they are forced to face their demons. AU after 2x09.
1. Dreams and Nightmares

The first thing Regina became aware of as she slowly woke was a feeling of disappointment that her dream had been interrupted. It had been a good dream. A dream that had included champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. She was pretty sure there had been whipped cream, too, but not for the strawberries. There had been someone else in the dream, also, bathed in candlelight.

The next thing she became aware of was a pair of soft lips pressed against her eyelid and a gravelly voice saying, "Good morning, sleepy."

Regina hummed at the back of her throat but kept her eyes closed. Maybe that dream wasn't as far off as she thought.

The soft lips chuckled and pressed down again, this time on her forehead.

"Come on, I heard some little feet moving in the room next door."

And just like that, the dream was lost for the time being.

Regina groaned. "Can't we just stay in bed?" She asked, still insolently refusing to open her eyes.

"Since when do you like to sleep the day away?"

"I had other activities in mind than sleeping." Regina said with a husky voice.

The lips chuckled again, this time from above as the body that belonged to those lips moved on top of her, muscular arms holding most of the weight from that body on either side of Regina.

Regina opened her eyes the tiniest amount to see exactly where those lips were. Before he could anticipate her next move, Regina reached her head up and captured those lips in a deep kiss, and her eyes closed again.

When she next opened them, the first thing she saw was her husband's blue eyes darkening as he groaned. "Regina, you're an irresistible minx, and you know it," he said, leaning down to capture her lips again. Her arms wrapped around him and she hummed in pleasure at the back of her throat.

Just then, they both felt a kick between them at the same moment that their bedroom door slammed open.

"Daddy, what are you doing to Mommy?"

Regina and the lips groaned at the same time, and the two adults in bed rolled away from each other.

"Um…uh…um…Lil wanted breakfast." Henry stammered from the doorway, clearly flustered by the sight in front of him.

"Don't worry, Henry, you're not interrupting anything. We learned our lesson the last time we kept the door unlocked."

Henry and Regina burned a matching bright red. "David!" Regina scolded softly. At the sight of her sixteen-year-old son's face Regina bit back a laugh. "Why don't you take your sister downstairs, Henry. We'll be there in minute."

Henry picked up his little sister and shut the door behind him quickly, glad of an excuse to be as far as possible from any more allusions to his parents' sex life.

"It seems like all of our children are practicing their skills of interruption this morning." Regina commented as she stood, her hand resting on her far-too-large-to-be-only-six-months baby bump.

David pulled back the covers on his side and stood up. "Hey, I only felt one kick, so at least one of our children has some respect."

Regina laughed and grabbed her robe from the velvet bench at the foot of their bed. She pulled it on over her nightgown and tied it closed before slipping her feet into her slippers. "I'm sure once she arrives she'll follow in the footsteps of the rest of her siblings."

She heard him laughing his agreement as she made her way out of the room. He grabbed his own robe and threw it over his pajama pants and bare chest and caught up with her before she had even made it halfway down the stairs. At six months pregnant with twins, Regina was moving slower than usual, something that she hated to admit.

David slowed down to keep pace with her once they were down the stairs, putting his hand on the small of her back. Lily and Henry were sitting at the island in the center of the kitchen, waiting. David sat down on the other side of Lily, who was seated in the middle barstool, her knees tucked under her bottom so that she could reach the island.

Henry turned red again at the sight of the adults, and this time David had the decency to look a little sheepish. "Sorry, Henry."

"It's okay," Henry pretended to sigh. "Maybe one of these days I'll get used to walking in on my mom and my grandfather."

David let out a laugh before he could catch himself. "Geez, we're scarring you for life, aren't we, kid?"

"It's okay, you can pay for therapy later." Henry joked. To an outsider, the conversation would have been horrific, but in the sleepy town of Storybrooke, Maine, it was accepted as normal. Well, sort of.

"Daddy, why did Henwy call you his gwampa?"

Regina leaned across the island as much as her growing belly would let her. "Who wants chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast?" She asked quickly, catching her little girl's curious brown eyes.

"Me!" Lily said excitedly, raising her hand. Luckily, at three years old, Lillian Nolan was easily distracted.

Henry and David exchanged a look that Regina pointedly ignored. She busied herself around the kitchen in order to ignore the way her husband was trying to catch her eye. When David realized what she was doing, he sighed inaudibly and shook his head. Sooner or later they were going to have to face their past, and with how smart Lily was, David was pretty sure that it would be sooner rather than later.

They weren't alone again until that evening, after they had put Lily to bed. It was a Friday night, and Henry was spending the night at a friend's house, which meant that Regina and David had the house to themselves, provided that Lily didn't wake up. They sat on the couch downstairs, Regina on one end and David on the other. Regina was stretched out with her feet on David's lap and a cup of tea in her hand. Her eyes were closed as she leaned her head on the back of the couch and listened to Lily singing herself to sleep through the baby monitor that was sitting on the coffee table in front of them.

David's feet were propped up on the coffee table and his thumb was moving in slow circles on Regina's ankle. His eyes were on his wife's face, watching as her chest rose and fell with each breath she took. When the monitor fell silent and he was sure that Lily was asleep, he decided that it was time to speak. "Regina?"

"Hmmm?" Regina hummed, opening her eyes. She leaned forward and placed her mug on the coffee table and leaned back, her eyes closing once more as her hands came to a rest on the bump of her stomach.

"We need to talk about this morning."

Regina's eyes popped open as a look of dismay flitted across her face. "No."

"Regina, we can't keep it from her forever."

"She's three, David."

"You know how perceptive she is. If one of us doesn't tell her, she'll find out from someone else in this town."

He could tell from the look on her face that she knew he was right. They were both silent for a long moment. Regina's eyes closed again, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. She sat up and put her feet on the floor, her head falling into her hands. "She'll hate me." She whispered in a soft but broken voice.

David scooted closer to his wife and put his hand on her back. With his other hand, he cupped her chin and pushed it up gently to force her to look at him. Brushing back a strand of her hair with two fingers, he looked into her eyes. "She could never hate you."

Regina shook her head. "Henry did when he found out the truth."

David grabbed her face in his hands and looked into her eyes with an urgency that she hadn't seen in a long time. "You're not the person you were when Henry found out. It's not the same at all."

"But how will she know that?"

"Regina, the entire town knows it. She will too."

Regina still couldn't make herself believe it. She had dreaded the day when she would have to tell Lily from the moment that she knew she was pregnant with her. Nightmares about the moment had haunted her for the last four years. "What if she sees me as the villain?"

"You're not a villain, Regina. You're a hero. We'll tell her everything. Who you were in the Enchanted Forest, yes, but also who you are now. We'll tell her about us. We'll tell her how I fell in love with the woman that you really are. We'll tell her how you saved me."


	2. Broken, We Are Both

**~Five Years Earlier~**

Regina stood leaning against a table, suspended in shock as she stared at the man on the ground in front of her. She watched as he looked down at the ground below him and back up again, as he got on his knees and groped at the tattered hat in front of him, trying to find something, anything, that would get him where he wanted to be. Finally he looked up at her, tears in his eyes and hatred written on every feature. "Where are they?" He growled, standing up.

Regina stared at the ground without answering. She had to make a decision in that moment, and she had to do it quickly. If she told him the truth, went back on her lie, she knew that he would find a way to reach them, to get them back to Storybrooke. And if he did that, she could say goodbye to the hope of having Henry again. Finally, she looked up at him, decision made. "I have no idea."

He moved forward quickly, forcing her to back away. "Are they dead?"

"The curse, it destroyed all the lands." Regina lied, staring him in the eyes. If this was going to work, she had to make him believe her. She had to ignore the part of her that wanted to tell him the truth.

"Are. They. Dead?" He demanded again, enunciating each syllable.

"I don't know!" Regina snapped, telling the truth this time. As soon as she did it, she wanted to kick herself. Why hadn't she said yes? She felt a surge of irritation. Why did she care about lying to him?

"I should have killed you myself," David growled, though he knew he didn't mean it. He was angry that he hadn't made it in time to go with them, and had no other object for his anger except for her.

"Then what's stopping you?" Regina snarled, not afraid of him. She wasn't sure what had happened to bring her magic back, but she could feel it in her fingertips. Always on the defensive, she took two steps forward and got in his face, pushing him back and using her magic to make him fly against the wall. As soon as he hit it, branches like the ones on the wallpaper wrapped around David, holding him in place. "You think you're some heroic prince? Please. You're nothing but the son of a shepherd. I should have killed you when I had the chance. And now I can." She reached her hand up to where his heart was, but stopped.

 _'Do it!'_ Her mind screamed, but she couldn't. She looked up into his eyes, and something there stopped her. Shocked at herself, she took a step backwards, and he fell to the ground.

"Mom?"

"Henry, what are you doing here?"

David stood up slowly and watched the interaction between Regina and Henry unfold. He saw the way she recoiled when Henry told her that he didn't want to see her again, and he felt a surge of pity for her, one that he ignored. This was the Evil Queen. He wouldn't let himself feel sorry for her.

"Where will you go?"

"With me." David stepped forward. Regina turned around and met his eyes, and he saw something flicker in her dark brown orbs, and then saw her shoulders slump in defeat. He knew that she would let them go without any trouble, though he couldn't quite understand why. When she looked away, he stepped forward, avoiding her eyes as she watched him walk to Henry and grab his shoulder. He knew that her eyes were on him as he left the room, but he didn't allow himself to look back, as much as he wanted to.

Regina watched them go, her heart feeling torn at Henry's words. He didn't really mean them, did he? He couldn't. But Regina knew that he did. And even worse, she knew that he was right. She really was the Evil Queen.

* * *

Regina sat at her kitchen table, her mother's book of spells in her hand. She had been staring at the book for the last hour now, Henry's words from before echoing in her mind. Suddenly the door behind her slammed open, and Regina jumped, gasping in surprise. She turned around to see Charming entering her house, wielding his sword. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the ridiculous sight.

"I want to see him."

She stood up and walked towards him, and as she did, he raised his sword as if afraid of an attack. She stepped forward to meet him and looked into his eyes. "Henry, come down," she called up the stairs, holding his gaze with each word. A look of confusion flitted across Charming's face. "You won't be using your sword." Regina finally said.

"Whatever you conjure I can fight," retorted David, jumping to conclusions.

Once again, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I mean you won't need your sword," elaborated Regina as she reached her hand up and pushed his sword down with the back of her hand.

At that moment, Henry came down the steps slowly, puzzled at the sight in front of him. Regina broke her gaze with Charming to walk up the stairs, stopping when she was at eye level with Henry. She was silent for a moment, gazing into her son's eyes. She could see a few emotions there, emotions that she had hoped to never see directed towards her. Fear, resentment, distrust. Emotions that she had caused, as much as she hated to admit it. "Henry, you're gonna go home with David," she finally said, nearly choking on the words.

Henry looked at David and then back at his mother. "Really?"

"Really. I shouldn't have brought you here. I was…" she trailed off, not sure how to say what she was trying to convey to her son. She swallowed and tilted her head to the side. "I don't know how to love very well. I wasn't capable of it for a very long time, but I know – I remember – that if you hold on to someone too hard, that doesn't make them love you." She paused for a moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was softer, full of emotions. "I'm sorry I lied to you. That I made you feel like I didn't know who you are. I want you to be here because you want to be here. Not because I forced you, and not because of magic." She swallowed. "I want to redeem myself." They stared at each other for a long moment before she finally found the strength to speak again. "Go get your things."

Both Regina and David watched as Henry's gaze softened towards his mother. He held eye contact with her for a long moment and then turned around, bounding up the stairs to obey her command. As Henry turned, David's eyes flickered to Regina, and he saw her shoulders slump as she watched her son walk away from her. He could see the defeat in her body language, as if she didn't know how to even begin when it came to redeeming herself. David wasn't sure why, but he wanted to do something.

"Then prove it," he said, his voice low so that only she could hear.

She jumped a little, surprised at the sound of his voice, and then turned around slowly. When she met his eyes he saw the sincerity in them. "How?" She finally asked.

"Answer one question. Does it exist?"

Regina looked puzzled. "What?"

David found that he wasn't impatient, as he usually would be. "The Enchanted Forest, our land. Does it still exist?"

Regina held his gaze for a moment, stepping down the stairs until she reached the bottom step. She had another decision to make now. Stick to her lie and still have a chance of keeping Henry for herself without anyone knowing, or tell him the truth and take the first step toward redeeming herself for real. It was a difficult choice, but ultimately it was something she saw in David's eyes that made the decision for her. "Yes. But I have no idea how to get back there." She searched his eyes, the ghost of a smile flickering on her face. "I can see I just launched you on a heroic quest." She paused for a moment, and when she spoke next, her voice was softer and thick with emotion. "Just also make sure you take care of my son."

David was taken aback by the last sentence, though once she said it, he knew that he shouldn't have been. He already knew in his heart that Regina loved Henry, even if she didn't know the best way to show it. In earlier times, David would have made some snarky retort, but something in the look she gave him halted the snarky statement that was already on the tip of his tongue. Instead he gave her a soft look and nodded. "That I can do."

Regina didn't have to speak for David to hear her thanks. It was plain in the way her eyes softened around the edges and the way the corners of her lips upturned just slightly. His small tip of the head forward took the place of 'you're welcome', and as they stood there holding one another's gaze, David found himself surprised that they had been able to understand each other nonverbally so well. In fact, it unsettled him a bit that he and Regina could communicate on such a level.

Before anything else out of the ordinary could happen between the two of them, Henry came down the stairs slowly, as if afraid that Regina had changed her mind in his absence. David could see from the look on Regina's face that she knew what Henry was thinking, but the look was gone before Henry looked at his mother, replaced with a small smile.

David grabbed Henry's shoulder and the two walked out on Regina again, but this time David looked back at the woman that had been his enemy for such a long time, and the look of loss and air of loneliness surrounding Regina kept him up for most of that night.

* * *

 **A/N: HUGE thank you to all those who favorited and followed the story and special thanks to Ella, yasmin, HeroineGauddess, and Guest (whoever you are) for reviewing. I know the Evil Charming fanclub out there is a small one, so I'm seriously honored by your support.**

 **Just as a warning: These next few chapters are going to be very close to episodes so more focused on the internal changing of Regina and David's feelings towards each other than moving the bigger plot forward, but bear with me because I start to deviate from the canon storyline more and more as the chapters go on. I'll update with more frequency for these few chapters since they're already written because of all that.**

 **Reviews are chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. xxRose**


	3. Lady of Loneliness

Regina sighed as she heaved another empty box onto her desk to replace the one she had just taken down to her car. More exhausted than she would like to admit, she leaned against the desk and looked around at the office around her. It was chaotic, the most chaotic she had ever seen it. Usually the office was perfectly organized up to the last pencil, with everything in its' proper place, but right now things were strewn everywhere.

She couldn't say that she was surprised that the town had asked her to leave the mayor's office, but it was still hard to ignore the disappointment she felt. Despite everything, she loved being the mayor. Technically she was still mayor, and she had no plans to relinquish that title just yet, but she knew that for the time being, the town would be hostile to the idea of her being in charge.

Looking around the office again, Regina thought of all the time that she had spent in this room in the last 28 years. She had a lot of good memories of doing homework with Henry here throughout his elementary years. When he was younger, Regina would take a break from work to pick him up from school and bring him back here, where she would kick off her shoes and they would have a snack together, sitting next to each other on the floor with their backs against the couch. Then Regina would have Henry spread his homework on the coffee table in front of them and she would grab some paperwork. They would do their work together and when Henry was finished, she would pack up her bag and they would head home. It wasn't anything overly special, but it was their routine until this book had shown up in their lives, and Regina missed the comfort of that routine. She missed the comfort of having Henry with her.

If she was being totally honest with herself, even though it had only been a few days, Regina missed the comfort of having another person around. Since Henry had gone to stay with David, Regina had felt so lonely. Often she would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic to find Henry gone from his bed, only to remember that he wasn't coming home. She couldn't stop her mind from wondering what he was doing, where he was, what was he eating for dinner, how was he spending his free time, was he keeping up on his homework?

Regina pushed these thoughts away and picked up a stack of books from one of the bookshelves against the wall, setting the books neatly in the empty box on her desk. At that moment, the phone rang, and Regina crossed the room and grabbed it. Looking at the screen, Regina's heart jumped when she saw who the call was from. She clumsily pressed the green answer button, putting the phone to her ear. "Henry," she breathed, more a statement than a question. "I'm just packing up the office. I've been asked to leave. … No, of course it can wait, I'd love to have lunch with you. Granny's, ten minutes."

As Regina hung up the phone, a wide smile spread across her face, and she set it down on the desk, reaching over to grab her purse and jacket from the desk chair. She hurried out of the office, excited to see her son. She had no idea what made him want to have lunch with her, but she was delighted nonetheless. Maybe he wanted to try and make things work between them just as much as she did.

Her feet carried her down the block to Granny's in less than five minutes, and she chose a booth in the corner, ignoring the looks from some of the customers in the diner. Granny gave her a sharp look, but didn't seem inclined to kick Regina out, something that she was grateful for. She was sure this was going to be hard enough for Henry as it was. There was no need to make it harder.

The ten-minute mark quickly passed, but Regina waited where she was, hoping that he was just running a bit slowly. When ten minutes turned into twenty, and then twenty-five, Regina's heart sank as she realized that Henry wasn't coming to Granny's. Refusing to meet anyone's eye, she stood up from her booth and crossed the diner quickly, pushing open the door.

As she walked back to the office, she stuck her hands in her jacket pockets, trying to ignore the crushing feeling of disappointment that had settled onto her chest. She wanted to know what had made Henry change his mind, but she knew that she was too afraid of pushing him too far to call and ask him. She entered the office and slumped down in her desk chair, suddenly too depressed to face the packing.

The door to her office banged open, causing Regina to jump in shock, and she looked up to see David storming into the room, looking at her suspiciously. Before she could ask what he was there for, he spoke. "I just got a call from the school that Henry never showed up this morning. Where is he?" He came to a stop in front of her desk and looked down at her menacingly.

"I don't know," Regina said honestly, too confused to be annoyed with the unspoken accusations that David was throwing her way. "He called me half an hour ago and asked me to meet him for lunch at Granny's, but he never showed up."

David sighed in defeat and sat down on one of the chairs across from Regina. "This parenting thing is harder than I thought," he mumbled under his breath. Regina heard him but decided not to say anything. They stared at each other for a long moment before David spoke, his mind whirling. "He went to a lot of trouble to meet you for a lunch that he never showed up to…"

Regina looked away, suddenly not wanting to see the pity that she thought she might find in David's eyes. She didn't need or want his pity. "He seemed quite eager to meet me for lunch once he found out I was here," she finally said, analyzing the conversation with Henry in her mind. In her delight at Henry's request she had missed some of the more odd parts of the conversation.

David nodded. "Clearly he wanted you out of this office," he said slowly. "The only question is why."

Jumping at the sudden thought that entered her mind, Regina turned her chair and pulled open her top desk drawer. Pulling out the set of skeleton keys, she inspected them quickly to find that some were missing. David watched her but said nothing, waiting for her to speak. "My family mausoleum. He's there." She said, standing up and looking at David.

He stood up too. "Are you sure?"

Regina nodded, panic starting to rise in her chest. "Yes. The only keys missing are the ones that would go to there. That has to be where he's going." Her breath started to come quicker as she thought of all of the dangerous items she had stored in that vault.

David saw the panic in her eyes. "Regina, what's in there?"

"A lot of things," she said, her eyes wild. "We have to stop him."

"Then let's go!" David said, turning on his heels. He was almost out of the office when he realized that she wasn't following him. Turning, he saw that she was still standing behind her desk, her eyes full of fear. "Are you coming?"

"No, David, you have to go without me."

"Regina, he's in danger."

"That's exactly why you have to go without me."

"I don't understand."

"He won't leave with me. He won't come if I go. You have to get him."

David hesitated. He heard the pain in her voice, saw the fear on her face. He could tell how badly she wanted to go, but he also saw sense in her words.

"Go!" Regina snapped, her voice getting louder.

With one last look at Regina, David turned on his heels and hurried out of the office, the image of her standing behind her desk with such a look of fear and vulnerability imprinted on his mind.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, y'all, I know this one was pathetically short, which is why I PROOOMISE I'll update again tomorrow. Hopefully in the morning before I catch my flight home, but if not, then the moment I get home! Or during my layover. Whatever.

Thanks to bananalestrange, HeroineGaudess, and Guest for your reviews! Also, Ella, I think we're going to be great friends who bake awesome cookies together-PS I've been to Italy and it's absolutely my favorite place in the world, so I'm jelly that you live there.

Reviews are a warm cup of tea in between your hands on a cold winter night. xxRose


	4. The Stable Boy

**4 – The Stable Boy**

"When will I ride him?"

"When the horse tells you."

Before Henry could ask how, David's phone vibrated, and he held his hand up. Stepping a good distance away from the horses, David answered his phone. Henry turned back to the horse and kept petting him until David came back. David put his arm on Henry's shoulder and looked up at the horse. "The stuff to muck his stalls and brush him are over there," he said, motioning to the tack room. "I have to go take care of something, but I'll be back."

"Okay," Henry said, unconcerned. He turned and headed to the tack room.

With one last look at his grandson, David turned on his heels and hurried to his truck, putting it in gear and heading for the hospital.

 **∞o∞**

Regina stood outside of Whale's room, watching the nurse tend to his arm, a thousand different thoughts racing through her mind. She didn't know if Whale was going to be okay, but at that moment, she didn't really care. There was something, or someone, more pressing on her mind.

Regina was so distracted that she didn't hear David approaching until he spoke. "What's going on?" She whirled around to face him. He had addressed his question to her. "I just got a call that Dr. Whale has been attacked."

Regina didn't have the patience to deal with him. "You'll have to ask his doctors," she said simply, trying to brush him off.

He didn't fall for that so easily and stepped closer to her. "No. I'm asking you."

Regina took a deep breath, trying to calm the irritation rising in her chest. "I came here to speak with him and discovered he was hurt." He gave her a look, and she made a face at him. "It's the truth!"

"What else? What did you come here to speak with him about?" David asked, determined to make her elaborate.

Regina hesitated before speaking. "Someone from my past. I believe he's come back." David waited for her to continue. "Daniel. His name is Daniel."

David's eyes widened in confusion. "The man you were supposed to marry. Snow told me what happened…and how it was her fault that he died."

"Yes," Regina snapped, a familiar surge of hatred flaring up in her chest. "He did."

"Then how could he be back?" David asked, not believing that this could be happening. It wasn't possible.

"Whale!" Regina said, the ghost of a smile flitting across her face as she motioned to the man in the hospital bed behind them. "He believed he could bring him back from the grave, and, I don't know how, but he has."

David was skeptical, and gave her a look. "You don't know how? Guess."

Regina took a deep breath to calm the annoyance once more. "He practices something more powerful than magic, or so I was told. All he needed was a heart, and he took one of mine."

His eyes widening in horror, he pulled her to the side where no one could hear them. "You have hearts here?"

"In my vault. From our land." Regina's tone was as if it was an obvious answer that he should already know.

David resisted the urge to shake her. She had hearts? Taking his own deep breath, he brought his face closer to hers. "Whose heart did he take?"

The smile disappeared from Regina's face. "I have no idea," she admitted, her voice soft. "I took so many it was impossible to keep track." The parallels to her mother didn't escape Regina's notice, but she ignored them and pulled herself back to the present. Daniel. "I need to go. I have to help him." She tried to move past David, but he grabbed her arm to stop her.

"No. Where is he?" When she didn't answer him, David motioned to Whale. "Look what he did, he's dangerous!"

Regina shook her head, refusing to believe it. Daniel could never be dangerous, a monster, no matter what Whale said. "Not to me." She was sure of that. "He won't hurt anyone else, David, I promise."

David took another deep breath to calm himself, resisting the urge to throw her ass in jail and be done with it. "You know I can't take that chance. You have two choices, Regina. Tell me where he is, or jail."

Regina bit her lip, thinking hard. "I think it's like when you awoke from your coma," she said, thinking aloud. "He's following his final thoughts to where he last met me. The stables."

David's eyes widened in horror, surprising Regina. "No. Henry. Henry's at the stables." He turned on his heel and ran.

Her own eyes widening in horror, Regina followed him.

 **∞o∞**

They arrived just in the nick of time, as Daniel had his hands wrapped around Henry's throat, lifting the young boy off the ground. Regina was frozen in horror, and it was all she could do to call out, "Daniel! Let him go!"

Hearing a familiar voice, Daniel looked up to see Regina and an unfamiliar man standing in the doorway. Surprised, he let go of the neck he was holding, and was horrified to realize that it wasn't Cora in his arms, but a young boy.

Running forward, David picked Henry up and set him on his feet outside of the stall. "You okay?"

"Yeah!" Henry said, breathless and afraid.

"Go. Go!"

For once, Henry listened, turning on his heel and running. David turned back to see Regina standing in the doorway, her face lighting up at the sight of Daniel. "It's true. You're really here."

Reaching forward, David grabbed the stall door and slammed it shut, leaning his body against it. He turned to Regina. "It won't hold him for long. Can you cast a spell to subdue him?" He could tell from the look on Regina's face as soon as he spoke that she was horrified at the idea.

"No. I won't use magic on him."

David searched her eyes, surprised. When he saw that she meant it, he pulled his gun out of the holster, clicking the safety off.

Regina's eyes widened in horror. "What are you doing?" She cried desperately.

"He's a monster, Regina! If you don't put him down I will!"

"David, please!" Her voice broke in desperation. "Just let me talk to him!"

David shook his head. "It's too big of a risk! There's no telling what he might do!"

"You have to at least give me a chance!" Regina yelled. She wasn't going to let him kill Daniel, not now, not ever.

David knew it, too. "Out of the way, Regina, now," he yelled, pushing her with all of his strength out of the way so that he could do what he had to do.

"No!" She recovered quickly, more quickly than he had anticipated, running back towards him and grabbing onto the jacket of his coat. "I won't let you hurt him! He'll listen to me." David heard the desperation in her voice, and that was what stopped him. He turned and looked at her face, saw the tears pooling in her eyes. He could feel the desperate need to save what she loved that radiated off of her. He hesitated. "Please!" There it was again, the desperation that shook him to the core. "Let me talk to my fiancé." His heart broke at that last word, though he didn't know why. Sighing, he put his gun back in his holster and took a step backward.

Regina held his gaze, and a silent thanks passed between them. Taking a few steps backward, David continued to watch as she turned away from him and leaned against the stall door, collecting herself. He turned and walked the length of the hall, but he was still close enough to hear the way her breath shook as she inhaled and exhaled. Before he could stop himself, he ducked behind a large barrel of oats and peeked his head around the corner, able to watch what would happen but not able to be seen by Regina. He didn't know why, but he had to make sure that she was safe. He didn't believe that this man wouldn't hurt her, and David didn't want anything to happen to her.

Regina opened the stall slowly, both excited and afraid to see what was inside. As she pushed the door aside and it banged against the wall, her gaze landed on Daniel. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she took the sight of him in. It was really him. He stepped toward her slowly, his arm reaching out as if to touch her face. When he was close enough to reach her, the look in his eyes changed to one of malice and he grabbed her by the neck, forcing her against the wall outside of the stall.

Startled, Regina gasped for air, and her hands reached up, trying to pull his away from her neck. She struggled to breathe.

David grabbed his gun from the holster and stood up, trying to get a clear shot at the man without hitting Regina. When he heard Regina speak, he froze in place.

"Daniel. It's me." She choked, struggling to get any words out. She used the last bit of air she had in her lungs to utter the next part. "I love you."

At those words, Daniel gasped for air and let go of her. David saw a change come over the man, and he crouched back down behind the barrel but kept his gun out, not wanting to interfere but at the same time not wanting to be unprepared if things turned nasty again.

Regina leaned over, coughing and gasping for air. When she caught her breath she stood up, and the two locked eyes.

"Regina?"

Regina's face lit up, and she ran towards him as he held his arms out for her. "Daniel." Then, just like that, they were in each other's arms again.

David could see Regina's face from his vantage point, but he knew that she would be too distracted to see him. The look on her face shook him, though he struggled to understand why.

They pulled back from each other, and Regina searched his face. "I can't believe it's really you." Daniel put his hands on Regina's face, as if unsure that she was real too.

Suddenly he leaped back from her, leaning over and grabbing at his chest. He was clearly in pain, and David could see from Regina's face that she didn't understand what was happening. She watched, a look of helplessness on her face.

Finally Daniel straightened and looked at Regina. "Just stop the pain."

"How?" Regina asked, desperate to do something, anything that would help him.

Daniel grabbed her face and looked into her eyes, trying to get through to her. "Let me go."

Regina shook her head, unable to accept his request. "No. No, I won't lose you again." When he said nothing, she continued. "Without you I'm lost." The words caused a sharp pain in David's chest, and though he knew he shouldn't be watching this, he couldn't look away. Daniel began to shake and let go of Regina once more. Desperate, she grabbed onto his arm. "Daniel! Daniel, come back to me." She grabbed his face and forced him to look at her.

He shook his head, his eyes and his voice full of a pain that had nothing to do with the unfamiliar heart in his chest. "Can't."

Regina's eyes filled with tears. "But I love you," she uttered, and the sound of her voice brought tears to David's eyes. It was so broken, so lost, so helpless.

Daniel grabbed Regina's face with his hands again, looking into her eyes to make sure that she understood him. "Then love again," he said slowly, searching her eyes for some indication that she would listen to him. Before he found this affirmation, he gasped in pain again and stumbled away from her.

When he looked up next, he wasn't Daniel, and both Regina and David could tell. David raised his gun again as the man advanced toward Regina, but he stopped as he watched Regina raise her hand and freeze him with magic. She stared at him for a long moment, her face contorting with pain and a wail escaping her. With a wave of her hand, Daniel disappeared to dust, and Regina stood there, sobs racking her and wails escaping her lips.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, but eventually the wails quieted and the sobs stopped shaking her so violently. It was then, as she looked down at the dust on the floor, that Daniel's words reechoed in her mind.

 _"Then love again."_

At that moment, David stood up from his hiding place and moved forward, coming to a stop a few feet in front of her.

 _"Then love again."_

Regina looked up to see David standing in front of her, and she stared at him in surprise, her body still shaking with silent sobs.

"Regina?"

As tears streamed down her face, she looked into his eyes. Shaking her head, she turned on her heel and ran past him, running until she was out of the stables and to her car.

As much as he wanted to, David didn't follow her. Instead he remained where he stood, staring at the dust at his feet that he knew belonged to the one person that had ever truly loved Regina.

 **∞o∞**

"David, who was that man in the stables?"

David looked up from the food on his plate to find Henry watching him from the other side of the table. David hesitated, but the look on Henry's face was one that he had seen before. Surprisingly, it wasn't the one he had seen on Snow's face, or even Emma's. It was the one he had seen on Regina's. "His name was Daniel," David finally said. "He was your mother's true love."

"Regina's?"

David nodded.

Henry was quiet for a moment. "What happened to him? Back in our land, I mean."

David shook his head. "I don't really know, except that he died, and Snow had something to do with it. Regina and Snow both claim that it was Snow's fault, but…I know she wouldn't have killed him, so I don't know how."

Henry was quiet again. "If he died, how was he in the stables today?"

"Dr. Whale brought him back to life somehow." David said, not wanting to go into details. To his relief, Henry didn't press.

"What happened after I left?" He asked after another long moment.

"Your mother…"

"Yes?"

"She killed him. With magic."

"With magic?"

David nodded. "I asked her to. He was a danger to all of us."

Henry nodded, understanding. There was silent for an even longer time. "Is she okay?" He finally asked, his voice low and worried.

"I don't know, kid," David answered honestly.

 **∞o∞**

That night, after Henry had gone to sleep, David sat in the living room, unable to get the sight of Regina's tearstained face as she looked at him in the stables out of his head. He wrestled with it for a long time, before finally pulling out his cell phone and dialing Ruby's number.

She was there in ten minutes, and agreed to watch Henry so David could do something, though he wouldn't tell her what it was. "Just trust me, okay?" She nodded, and with that, he was out of the house with the keys to his truck in his hand.

It was a five-minute drive to Regina's house, but by the time he got up the courage to approach the front door, at least fifteen minutes had passed. He knew it was probably a bad idea to come here when he was sure that he was the last person Regina would want to see, but he knew that he would never be able to sleep until he made sure that she was okay. He wasn't sure why he needed to be sure of it, but he did.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way slowly up the front path, coming to a stop at the dark door. The outside light wasn't on, and the house was far enough back from the sidewalk that the pool of light from the streetlights didn't fall on the porch. After a long moment, David lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

He waited a few minutes, but no answer came. "Regina?" He called through the door, straining to hear any sound. He started to feel worried. She wouldn't have done anything rash, would she? He couldn't be sure of that answer.

Though he was starting to feel afraid of what he might find, David reached for the knob and turned. To his surprise, it was unlocked, and he opened the door slowly, stepping inside. It was dark in the hall, but a light from upstairs spilled down the steps and lit the room just enough for him to tell that there was no one in the front hall. He closed the front door behind him and stood there for a long moment, listening for any sounds.

It wasn't long before he heard muffled sobs coming from upstairs, and he made his way slowly up the winding staircase, still doubting whether he should continue. The closer he got to the open door where the cries were coming from, however, the more desire he felt to press on.

Taking another deep breath, he forced his feet to move forward faster, and halted at the doorway. His eyes took in a master bedroom that could only belong to Regina. There was a large bed in the center with nightstands on either side and a soft bench at the foot of the bed. A vanity that doubled as a dresser stood against the wall next to him, and two big windows, each with a window-seat, were in the wall opposite Charming. There were two doors within the rooms, both open. One was dark and Charming could just barely make out a bathroom, and the other, the door furthest from him, was the one with a light streaming through.

David made his way slowly across the room, and as he did so, the sobs became louder. Gathering up all the courage he had left, he crossed the last few feet and stood at the doorway. "Regina?" He asked softly as his eyes landed on the woman in question.

She was sitting on the floor of a rather large walk-in closet, surrounded by piles of tissues and blankets. She looked up in surprise at the sound of David's voice, and for a moment her sobs quieted. "David? What are you doing here?" She asked, immediately fighting to put up the mask she was so used to wearing. She didn't like to be vulnerable for anyone, especially not the husband of her enemy.

David could see what she was doing, and for some reason, he didn't want her to do it. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay," he said by way of explanation. "Henry was worried about you."

Regina looked away from him, struggling not to let him see how fast she was falling apart. "You should go," she whispered, though there was no effort behind the words, and David could tell that she didn't really want to be alone.

He crouched down next to her and waited for her to look at him. When she finally did, he looked her in the eye. "No. I came to make sure you were okay, and I'm not leaving until you are."

Regina didn't have the energy to fight him, and the thought of being left alone in this big and empty house was even more unappealing than allowing the man she had long thought of as an enemy to comfort her, so she said nothing. David took that as permission, and sat down next to her.

There was a very long awkward silence, and Regina found it more and more difficult to restrain the sobs that threatened to break through with each passing moment.

"You really loved him, didn't you?" David asked softly, watching her.

Regina's hand slapped over her mouth as a silent sob shook her body violently. All she could do was nod as she struggled not to cry.

Unsure of what else to do, David put his hand on her arm. "You can cry, Regina."

"No I can't!" She said breathlessly.

David forced her to look in his eyes again. "I'm not your enemy, Regina."

"That's exactly what you are." Her voice was soft and weak, as if she didn't really believe the idea she was holding onto so desperately.

"No." David shook his head. "Not anymore." He said nothing further, knowing that she wasn't one to put her faith in words.

There was a kindness in his voice that Regina had never heard from him. Kindness wasn't something she felt often from others, especially not the selfless kindness that Charming was extending to her. She knew he had nothing to gain by being here, and she also knew that if he hadn't witnessed the heartbreaking scene in the stables earlier that day, he would never have come. She could tell that something about that scene had shaken him, just as the sight of him afterwards had shaken her.

She looked up at him curiously to find that he was watching her as well. "Why are you here?" She whispered, and she knew from his eyes that he was at a loss for how to explain.

 _"Then love again."_

The words echoed in the minds of David and Regina both, though neither of them knew that the other had heard them. They stared at each other for a long moment, both of their eyes wide, and something in David's eyes reminded her of Daniel. She pulled hers away from him quickly, turning her head. "I'm—I'm okay now. You should go." She said with a tone of finality.

Though there was a part of him that wanted to stay, the sensible part took over, and he stood up, slightly relieved at the chance to escape. Maybe when he was back at home those words would stop echoing in his head. He turned and began to leave, but when he reached the doorway of the closet, he turned back. "I don't know what happened with Daniel and Snow back in the Enchanted Forest, but you should tell Henry. He deserves to see the side of you that I saw today in the stables." Before she could respond, he turned and was gone.

* * *

 **A/N:** Here's the next chapter, as promised! I walked all over the Denver airport looking like an idiot to find an outlet and when I finally sat down and logged onto my computer, I heard my name over the intercom declaring that I needed to report to another gate because apparently I dropped my ID without noticing. So basically, it was an ordeal to get to this point, but I couldn't disappoint all of you!

I promise to update within the next couple of days, but I'm not in as much of a rush since this had a little more in it than the last one! :)

Thanks Ella, for your review! My friend crush on you grows more and more with each review. I hope this chapter was saucy homemade lasagna enough for you!

Reviews are being able to download episodes of The Good Wife on your iPad to get you through the next two and a half hour flight and one hour drive that stands between you and your bed. xxRose


	5. Monsters and Burns

A/N: Hey there readers and friends! I am deeply deeply sorry for the way I disappeared, taking this story with me. Life kind of got crazy and this story got swept away. I can't make any promises that I'll finish it, but I'm definitely trying to go back to working on it. I have most of it outlined and already plenty of chapters written, so I'll at least post those.

* * *

David closed the doors to the cell and locked them, keeping his eyes on Ruby's face. He didn't think this was necessary, but knew his friend well enough to know that she wouldn't be satisfied until she got her way and had him lock her up. "Ruby, you don't have to do this."

"He's right."

They both turned to see Regina standing in the doorway, her hand on the doorpost. "What are you doing here?" David snapped without meaning to, his thoughts immediately going to that night that he couldn't get out of his head, the night when he had gone to her house to comfort her.

Regina's thoughts went to that night, too, but she was able to compose herself better than David. "Technically, until you replace me, I'm still the mayor," she said with a shrug. "So Spencer called and demanded that I do something about this." She took a few steps forward, and at the nasty look David gave her, she held up her hands. "So I am, though I don't think he'll like the outcome."

"What do you mean?" David asked, confused.

Ruby met Regina's eyes, and the two shared a long look. "You're going to help us?" Ruby asked quietly.

Regina nodded.

"If you want to help, then stay with Henry while I find whatever really killed Billy," David finally said, not fully sure that he could trust her.

"You already have." They all turned to see Spencer enter the room. "It's that thing. She-wolf."

David moved forward protectively, in front of both Ruby and Regina. This subconscious act didn't go unnoticed by Spencer. "Get out. Whatever issues you have with me, don't involve her. There's no proof that Ruby had anything to do with what happened."

Spencer glowered at him. "It seems to me that you're allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment."

Ruby stood up and came to the bars of the cell. "Leave him alone."

Spencer ignored her, keeping his eyes focused on David. "Protecting your friend at the peril of everyone else. I knew you would slip up, shepherd. It was only a matter of time."

David was silent for a moment, sizing Spencer up. "What do you want?"

"Justice. Hand her over to me and let the town decide her fate."

David shook his head. "Never. I know exactly the kind of justice you have in mind."

"This town is bigger than you think. I start telling people that you're putting their lives in danger to protect your own interests, you'll have a mutiny on your hands. Especially if they know how close you are to her," he finished, motioning to Regina. Ruby glanced at Regina in surprise, but David ignored the thinly veiled threat.

"Yeah, we'll see. You want her, you have to go through me."

Spencer took a few steps forward until he was inches away from David. "I look forward to that." With one last long look at Regina, he turned on his heel and was gone.

No one spoke until they heard the front door to the station slam shut. Regina looked at David. "If you want to keep her safe, you'd better move her somewhere else."

Ruby shook her head. "No. I need to be kept locked up. That's the only way to keep everyone safe."

David didn't agree with Ruby, and it was plain to see from the way Regina gave Ruby a sad look and shook her head that she didn't either. "I know King George better than you do." She looked at Charming. "Better than you, even. He'll be back with an angry mob in no time, and then no one will be safe."

David looked at her for a long moment, but he knew that she was telling the truth. "You're right," he admitted finally. "But where?"

"The library," Regina said without hesitation. "It's closed, and there are quite a few rumors about the dragon underneath. No one would look there."

"Okay. I'll call Belle." With that, David grabbed his cell phone and turned on his heel, leaving the room.

Ruby watched Regina suspiciously, and when the older woman felt the girl's gaze on her, Regina turned and met her eyes. Ruby stared into them for a long moment. "Why are you helping me?"

Regina's eyebrows showed her surprise. "Because I know you didn't do it."

Ruby shook her head. "You don't know that. For all you know, I could be the monster that everyone's saying I am."

Regina's gaze softened in understanding and she shook her head slowly. When she spoke, her voice was softer than Ruby had ever heard from the woman. "I know a thing or two about monsters, and you, Ruby, are not one of them."

They held eye contact for a long moment, but before Ruby could say anything else, David came striding back into the room. "I talked to Belle, she's meeting us at the library. We should go before Spencer comes back."

Ruby nodded, and David moved forward to unlock the cell, letting her out. He turned to Regina. "I'll take her to the library, but I need you to go pick Henry up from school and take him back to Mary Margaret's apartment. Can you do that?"

Regina nodded, trying not to look too eager at the idea. She wanted to see Henry so badly that she would do just about anything to make that happen, even trust Charming with a disaster such as this. She turned to leave, but paused, looking back at Ruby. "I know right now it seems hard to know who you really are, Ruby, but try to remember. It's when you forget that you lose yourself for good. Trust me." Avoiding Charming's surprised gaze, Regina turned and strode out of the sheriff's office.

David watched her go and then shook his head. Regina never failed to surprise him.

 **∞o∞**

Regina looked over at her son, a smile spreading across her face. He was sleeping peacefully on the couch in Mary Margaret's apartment. He had been surprised to see her picking him up after school, but to Regina's relief, he hadn't seemed hostile to her presence. When they had arrived back at the apartment, Regina had made him a snack and sat down in the living room with him. He had eaten and quickly fallen asleep. On the way home from school he had mentioned that he had been having bad dreams lately, and from the way he almost instantly fell asleep, Regina could guess that he hadn't been getting much sleep.

Regina didn't mind. Even if he was asleep, she was just happy to be around him. She sat on a chair facing the couch and watched him, her elbow resting on the arm of the chair and the palm of her hand resting on the side of her forehead, propping up her head. Her legs were crossed and she was leaning back in the chair. Sitting with Henry now as he slept reminded Regina of all the times she had snuck into his room to watch him sleep when he was a baby. Even after he had started sleeping through the night, Regina had always found it difficult to do the same. She would wake up in the middle of the night and hurry into his room in a panic, afraid that she would find that he wasn't breathing or that someone had stolen him away in the dead of night. The only thing that worked to calm her down was to sit in the rocking chair by his crib and watch him sleep. For the first few months, Regina was pretty sure she had slept more in that rocking chair than she had in her bed.

A lot had changed in the ten years since, but the calming effect that watching her son sleep had on Regina was still the same. Regina had no idea how much time had passed when Henry began screaming.

Regina jumped up from the chair and rushed to his side, kneeling next to the couch. "Henry, wake up. It's okay. You're okay."

He opened his eyes and sat up, staring at her. "Mom?"

She could see the fear in his eyes, and when he winced and looked down at his arm, her eyes followed his gaze. "Is that a burn?" She heard him hiss in pain and she looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Henry, what happened? That burn wasn't there before, was it?" It couldn't have been. She would have noticed. He would have said something, right? Cursed David wasn't the most reliable, but Regina knew that Charming would have taken Henry to the hospital if anything had happened.

"I think it was my dream," said Henry with another hiss. He winced again, his whole face contorting in pain.

Regina grabbed his hand to steady his arm and looked into his eyes. "Henry, we're gonna figure out what's going on," she promised, pulling out her cell phone and dialing the number for the last person she wanted to see right now.

 **∞o∞**

Regina and Henry stood in front of Mr. Gold, Regina taking a protective stance next to her son. Gold examined the burn on Henry's arm, and Regina had to stop herself from interfering when she heard her son hiss in pain again.

"Oh, yes, you were quite right to call," Gold said, turning away.

"So you can help. It was just a dream," Regina said it as a statement rather than a question.

"Well, what you're describing is certainly not a dream."

Regina was beginning to feel impatient. She hated it when he danced around the subject. "Then what was it?"

"A side effect. You know, it's remarkable you would cast a curse you know so little about." Gold didn't seem that surprised for someone who thought that her lack of knowledge was remarkable.

Regina took a deep breath to calm the anger bubbling up in her chest. "My victims are not supposed to wake up. So I certainly never cared what happened to them after." She paused and gave Henry a sideways glance, but his eyes were looking anywhere but her. "Until now." She resisted the urge to look at him again. A part of her wanted to know what he was thinking, but an even larger part of her was afraid of what those thoughts might be.

"When people fall under a sleeping curse, the soul travels to a netherword, where it resides until awoken. Now this world is between life and death, and it's very real. However, even when the curse is broken, sometimes, in sleep, the victims find their way back to that world. Victims like you." With that last sentence, Gold looked at Henry.

Regina took a step forward. "This other world is tormenting my son every time he sleeps. I want you to give him something that will keep him from going there."

Gold looked as if he was trying to placate a child. "Well, I'm afraid that's not possible. I can, however, provide you with something that will allow him to control his actions whilst in that world. And once one can control something, one no longer need fear it."

When Regina looked at the object Gold was preparing to give Henry, she was not amused. "A necklace."

He ignored her and handed it to Henry. "Wear this while you're sleeping. Once you control the journey, the fear will stop, and then, you can come and go as you please."

Regina stopped Henry from taking it, giving Gold a searching look. She trusted him as far as she could throw him, and she knew better than to think that he was doing this out of the kindness of his heart. "Everything comes with a price for you. What do you want for this?"

Gold scoffed. "A house call? You couldn't afford it. But this is for Henry. This one's on me." With that, he handed her son the necklace, and Henry took it gratefully.

Regina's desire to keep Henry safe battled with her desire to owe Gold nothing, but it was her motherly instincts that won out in the end. She didn't know why Gold suddenly cared enough to help her son, but she wasn't going to say something stupid to jeopardize his generosity.

 **∞o∞**

The sound of the front door creaking open woke Regina, and her eyes popped open with a start. She suddenly became aware of another presence in the apartment, but she was careful not to move. She was sitting upright against the headboard of Mary Margaret's bed, Henry laying on the pillow next to her, fast asleep under the covers. She had a clear view of the door, which was slowly creaking open. Regina closed her eyes again, opening them just enough to see through while still appearing asleep. She was careful to keep still.

The person opening the door crept in silently, and Regina could tell from the man's figure that it wasn't David. He crept away from them, searching for something, and Regina strained to see who it was. As the door crept open more on its' own, light from the hallway streamed in and fell on the man. Regina bit down on her lip before she could gasp and kept absolutely still, hoping that the man wouldn't look over and see them. She didn't want to use magic unless absolutely necessary, but even so, she summoned the power to her fingertips so that she would be prepared.

Spencer.

He moved silently through the apartment until it seemed that he found what he was looking for, and as he turned to head for the exit, Regina saw a familiar-looking beat-up hat in his hands. She held her breath until the door swung shut and clicked quietly. When she heard footsteps retreating down the stairs, she breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the magic that she had summoned, relieved that she hadn't had to use it.

Regina swung her legs off the bed and stood up, careful not to disturb Henry. She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, but the darkness of the apartment indicated that night had fallen. She tiptoed into the living room and turned on a light, making sure to lock the door on her way. She sat down on the couch and bit her lip, thinking hard about what to do.

That hat was too familiar to Regina for her not to recognize what it was and who it belonged to. The man who had taken it from the apartment was also too familiar to Regina for her not to understand that he meant no good by taking it. Spencer hated David almost as much as Regina hated Snow, and Regina immediately understood that Spencer's intention was to destroy the hat and all hope of David getting his family back.

Regina battled with herself. She knew that the fairy dust in the mines would be ready soon, which meant that David would be able to restore the hat and open a portal to bring his family home. Regina was pretty confident that if that happened, it would be even harder to repair things with Henry. If the hat was gone, it would be a hell of a lot harder for David to get Emma and Snow back, and also a hell of a lot easier for Regina to win Henry back.

Two weeks ago, the choice would have been easy for Regina. She didn't want Snow and Emma back, not really. They would only get in the way of her achieving what she wanted, which was Henry. But two weeks ago Regina had only been thinking of herself, not Henry. She didn't want to do that anymore. It was too much like what her mother had always done. What was best for Regina wasn't always what was best for Henry. With a sinking feeling, Regina knew what she had to do. For Henry.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. "Archie. Can I ask you a favor?"

 **∞o∞**

Regina drove her car down the main street of town, looking for something, anything, that would help her find David or Spencer. She had tried calling David multiple times, but he hadn't answered. She had no idea where to begin trying to find Spencer, not without magic, and she was determined not to use that. She had made a promise to Henry, and stopping magic had been a lot harder than she anticipated. As much as her body craved to use it, Regina knew that if she did, she might not be able to stop again.

Luckily, at that moment, a familiar truck sped in the opposite direction. Regina hurried to turn her car around and follow the truck. It was going faster than was safe, and Regina struggled not to get into an accident as she followed it to the harbor, where Ruby and Charming jumped out of the truck and ran to the beach. Regina put her car in park and followed, in such a hurry that she didn't even bother to shut the door of her car. She ran to catch up to them, but she was still so far away. "David, he has the hat!" She yelled, but when she got closer, she saw that it was too late.

As David fell to his knees, Regina felt a pang of grief that she didn't understand. She didn't care if the hat was intact. In fact, the destruction of the hat was in her best interests, and she knew that no one would blame her. She had tried to stop it from happening, so Henry wouldn't be upset with her. If anything, Regina should be feeling triumph instead of grief. But as she stared at David's shaking shoulders and realized that he was sobbing, she felt no trace of triumph, only a heart-wrenching pity. Without realizing what she was doing, she moved forward and placed her hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face, a terrible look of defeat in his eyes. He looked back down at the fire, but his hand moved up to rest on top of hers, as if he needed reassurance that her hand was really there. Regina didn't know how long they stood there, staring at the fire, but when David stood up and turned away, she sensed that something had changed between them.

 **∞o∞**

"How am I going to tell him?" David stood leaning against the staircase, his gaze on Henry's sleeping form. Regina and Ruby stood together a few feet away, watching him. They both seemed unsure of what to say, but when he looked at them, Regina knew that he was waiting for an answer.

"You'll find another way," she said, unable to think of any other comforting words.

"How do you know that?"

Regina looked at Ruby for help. Ruby stepped forward. "You always find each other."

David's eyes showed that he wasn't so sure, but he said nothing. Turning his back on Henry, he looked at Ruby. "How are you doing?"

She smiled. "Thanks to you, I feel better than I have in a long time. Thanks to both of you." At Regina's surprised look, Ruby smiled again. "You both believed in me even when I couldn't. You reminded me of who I am, and why I never want to lose that." She walked to the door, throwing it open and turning back to smile at them. Reaching up, she unclasped her hood. "Thanks to you, I'm going to do something I haven't done in a long time."

"What's that?" Regina asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Run." With that, Ruby dropped her cloak to the ground and turned, taking off into the night. A heartbeat later they heard a howling, and David smiled as he stepped forward and picked up the cloak.

Regina was pretty sure that was her cue to leave, but she couldn't get her feet to move. David turned back and started to walk past her, but she put her hand on his arm. He stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

It was David's turn to be confused. "Why?"

Regina bit her lip again. It was becoming a nasty habit. "When he broke in, I should have stopped him, but I froze, and I didn't want to use magic. I didn't want to break my promise to Henry, but using magic was the only way I could have stopped him. I should have done it, but I…I froze," she stopped as she realized that she was rambling.

David shook his head. "No. I know why you didn't. What I meant was why does that make you sorry?"

Regina's mouth opened and closed, as if she wasn't sure how to answer him. "I don't know," she admitted after a long moment, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.

Impulsively, David reached forward and tipped her head up, forcing her to meet his gaze. How long they stood there, eyes locked, neither could have said. David's searching gaze unsettled Regina in a way that no one had ever been able to do, and when he finally dropped her gaze, her shoulders slumped in a sigh of relief. "I—I should go," she said softly, turning away to gather her things. She left without another word, afraid to make eye contact with him again. When she reached her car, she slipped inside and locked the door, but sat there for a long time with her hands on the wheel, waiting for her heartbeat to slow down. What was it about Charming that was able to unsettle her so easily?

 _Then love again._

Regina shook her head violently and started the car. _No_.

David watched her drive away from the window of his wife's apartment, trying to understand what had just happened and why Regina's quick escape had left such an aching feeling in his chest.

* * *

Hopefully I'll post the next chapter in the next few days. Thanks for your patience and the fact that so many of you are still waiting for updates.

Reviews are this yummy chocolate cherry soy ice cream I got from Trader Joe's last week :)


	6. Sleeping Charming

"They're—they're alive! They're alive!" Henry shot up in bed, and his screams woke the other occupants of the room, jerking them awake.

Regina looked around groggily, trying to figure out where she was. She blinked a few times and remembered. She was in Mary Margaret's apartment, sleeping in a chair next to her nemesis' bed, where Henry had been sleeping. His nightmares had been getting worse, and Regina had spent the last couple of nights at the apartment in case the burns also got worse. She registered what Henry was screaming and jumped forward. "Who? Who's alive?"

"My mom and Snow!" Henry yelled. Regina tried to ignore the sting that hearing him call Emma 'mom' caused in her chest.

Charming, who had been sleeping in a chair across the room, moved to the end of the bed, a triumphant smile on his face. "I told you, kid, I told you!"

Regina bit back the snarky retort that was on her tongue. Charming might be willing to take Henry's statement as true at first, but Regina was more cautious. "Was it that woman you saw? Did she tell you this?"

Henry looked from his mom to his grandfather. "Her name's Aurora. She said they have a way home but there's someone in their way. Someone they need us to help them stop. Someone only Mr. Gold knows how to defeat." He spoke the words slowly, as if pondering over them himself.

Regina tilted her head to the side. "Who?"

There was a long pause as Henry looked back to her. He seemed unsure of his next words. "Your mother."

Regina's eyes widened in horror as her gaze moved from Henry's face to focus on thin air. This wasn't possible. It wasn't. Her mother was dead. She had seen it with her own eyes. Cora couldn't be alive. She couldn't.

 **∞o∞**

"Gold, we need to talk."

"Do we?"

"Folks, I think I may need to close early. Everybody out."

"No, it's okay, we're civil."

"For now. Belle, do you remember the woman who locked you up for twenty-eight years?"

"Uh, I should probably just…"

"Oh, no, stay. Whatever she has to say won't be a secret from you. Whatever she wants, she won't get."

"I'm actually coming about the one thing that might unite us."

"And what on earth could that be?"

"Cora. She's coming from our land. I need your help to stop her."

"She was dead. You told me you saw the body."

"Apparently you taught her well. She's not, and she's on her way, and I don't need to remind you how unpleasant that would be for both of us."

"For you. I can handle Cora."

"That's not how she tells the story."

"I won in the end."

"Maybe. But there's a big difference this time. This time you have someone you care about. This time you have a weakness."

"I'm sorry, who is this woman?"

"Someone you'll never meet. You say she's coming. Where is she now?"

"With them."

 **∞o∞**

Regina looked at her son lying on the mattress at the back of Gold's shop and took a deep breath. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a bundle and moved closer to him. "I brought your blanket. From your bedroom back home." She hesitated, wondering if he would refuse it.

To her relief, he smiled. "Thanks." Once she spread it over him, he looked at Mr. Gold. "So, Cora, she's pretty powerful."

"Yes, but not as powerful as I am." Gold responded.

Regina snorted. "Debatable."

It was obvious that she had ruffled his feathers. "Actually, no, it's not."

David moved forward, hoping to distract everyone before fireballs started to fly. "You sure you're okay to do this, kid?"

Regina was immediately distracted from her petty argument with Gold, and she too moved forward, watching the interaction between them.

Henry stuck out his jaw stubbornly, something that David had seen Regina do often. The similarities between them struck David when he least expected them, and he resisted the urge to look over at her as Henry began to speak. "I was born to do this. I'm done reading about heroes. I want to be one."

David smiled knowingly. "Sometimes being one is knowing when not to run into the fire."

Regina couldn't help but agree. Maybe Charming had more brains than he let on sometimes. Regina sighed at the thought. She knew that she wasn't being fair to him. He had already proved himself to her many times since Emma and Snow had been swept into the hat, and Regina knew that she needed to be fair. "He's right, Henry."

Henry smiled at both of them. "I'll be okay."

Gold seemed impatient with them. "Look, whatever he faces in there will be far less dangerous than what he'll face if we fail."

Henry tried to give them a reassuring smile. "I can do this." He was sure of himself, he just needed them to believe in him.

David stood up, sighing in defeat. "Get on with it. And fast." He stepped back until he was standing next to Regina.

Gold moved forward to sit next to Henry. "Alright, Henry, just relax, and soon you're gonna drift off."

"What do I tell them?"

"Just listen to my bedtime story, and all will be clear."

 **∞o∞**

Once Henry was asleep, Gold disappeared into the main part of his shop, leaving Regina and David alone with the sleeping boy. They were both quiet for a long time, until David looked over and saw the tears forming in Regina's eyes. Startled to see them, he reached over and put his hand on her arm comfortingly. "He's going to be okay."

Regina was so exhausted by the worries that plagued her that she didn't pull away from him and put her mask back up. "We have to do everything we can to stop her, David," she finally whispered vulnerably, her eyes on her son's face.

David watched her, watched the way that her eyes flared with fear at the mention of her mother. "You're afraid of her, aren't you?" His voice betrayed his surprise to find anything that scared Regina. That is, anything that didn't include losing Henry.

"Yes," Regina whispered, only loud enough for him to hear. She didn't want Gold to know how much all of this terrified her. She didn't trust him. If he knew just how desperate Regina was to keep her mother as far from her as possible, who knew how he would use that information? Unfortunately for Regina, Gold didn't need to overhear them to know this.

"Why?" David interrupted her thoughts, his own voice betraying his confusion. "She's your mother." He couldn't fathom how anyone could be as afraid of their mother as Regina seemed to be of Cora.

Regina finally looked up at him, and he saw a pain in her eyes that was becoming familiar to him. The more time he spent with her, the more of that pain he understood. He had a feeling that he was going to understand some more of it by the time this conversation was over.

"As bad as you think Gold is, as evil as you think I am, she's worse," Regina explained, her voice urgent as she tried to make him understand what they were up against.

As David looked into her eyes, he saw something there that confused him. Fear, pain, and unadulterated loathing at the thought of her mother. "What the hell did she do to you?"

Regina's mouth opened and then closed again as she looked at him.

"Regina, what did she do to you?"

"She's the one that killed Daniel," Regina said softly, looking down at the ground between them.

David was shocked. Whatever he had been expecting, that wasn't it. "Your own mother killed your true love?" He asked when he had managed to find his voice again.

Regina looked up into his eyes to see something she had never expected to see directed towards her from Prince Charming. Tenderness. "To her, love is weakness. She'll stop at nothing to destroy my weaknesses and make me as powerful as she's always wanted to be. That includes Henry. We have to help them stop her."

He saw the fear flare in her eyes again at the last sentence, and he put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "We will," he assured her, determined to keep her, Henry, and the rest of his family safe.

 **∞o∞**

As Henry woke up, his mother's voice was the first thing he heard. "Henry? Are you alright?"

David's was the next, and it sounded just as worried as Regina's had been. "Did you see her? Did you tell her?"

Henry shook his head, disappointed. "No, I didn't get the chance. Something happened. She got sucked out of there." He sat up, and when he did, he hissed in pain, wincing. He looked down at his arm, a horrified look on his face.

Regina's worry increased. "Henry?"

"Something's wrong!" Henry struggled to pull up the sleeve of his shirt, but when he did, the three adults gasped at the sight. His arm was covered in third-degree burns, worse than the burns he had suffered a few days earlier.

Regina knelt down next to him, trying to fight the tears that threatened to pool in her eyes. "Henry!"

Gold pushed forward, gently nudging her out of the way. "Here, let me take care of this." He waved his arm over Henry's arm, and the burns healed instantly.

Regina looked up at Gold. "What caused this?"

"When you venture deeper into the netherworld instead of away, there are risks. Someone woke Aurora before her soul was ready to return. The violence of that act injured Henry. We're lucky it wasn't worse. He's going to need some time to recover before we can send him back." Gold stepped back.

Regina's eyes flashed, and David took a step forward. They spoke at the same time, both with warning tones.

"Out of the question!"

"Not a chance in hell!"

David moved forward so that he was next to Regina, taking a protective stance over Henry and inadvertently over her. "We'd be monsters to even consider risking his life again."

Gold seemed mildly annoyed. "Careful with your tone, Charming. I understand your concern for the body, but I know Cora. Without our help, Emma and Snow will soon be dead, and then, a true monster will be on her way to Storybrooke."

Regina shook her head. In this, she was on David's side. "Aurora is gone. Why do we need to send Henry back to that fiery inferno with no one there to receive our message?"

Gold seemed stumped for the moment, but her words sparked something in David's head. With a wondering smile, he looked up at Gold. "Because someone will be there."

It was Regina's turn to look annoyed. "Who?"

"Snow," he said as if it were obvious.

"That's an awfully big assumption."

"No. No it's not. She was there once before, she can go back. She can find a way. I know it. And I'll be waiting." To David, it was the most logical thing in the world.

Regina was unconvinced. "You're going to this netherworld."

"I've faced you, how bad can it be?" As soon as he spoke the words, he regretted them. They didn't come out the way he had meant it to. She pulled back slightly, stung, but she concealed it enough that only David saw it. He bit his lip, knowing that there was no use apologizing. She would just shut down further.

Gold interrupted his thoughts. "It's not as simple as that. You can't get there. You haven't been under a sleeping curse."

David turned away from Regina regretfully, focusing on the problem at hand. "Then put me under one."

"If we do that, there's a chance you might never wake up," Gold warned.

"Yes I will. When I see her, she'll kiss me, and I'll be fine. Now put me under, I have spent far too much time looking for my wife, it is time to bring her home."

 **∞o∞**

When Regina retreated into another room to begin working on the potion, David checked on Henry once more before following her. She tried to ignore his presence, but after a very long moment of silence, she realized that he was waiting for her to speak. She turned to him abruptly, concern etched on every part of her face. "David, you shouldn't do this," she began.

He gave her a surprised look. He wasn't sure why he had followed her, but he hadn't expected her to try and stop him. "Why not?"

"We don't know that Snow will be the one in there. We don't even know if she can get back to that place. You might not wake up." Something in her expression changed. "Maybe I should go instead."

"Regina, are you insane? Whatever you may think, there is a very good chance that my true love will be on the other end. Yours is dead." He knew the moment he saw her face that it was the wrong thing to say. The flicker of concern he had seen in her eyes changed as they glazed over, cool once more. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just meant…" he sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. He wasn't used to grasping for words, but something about Regina flustered him so much. "If you were the one to do it, there would be even less of a chance of you waking up. I'm not letting Henry lose his mom."

Regina knew there was no use arguing with him, not when he was right, so she turned back to the potion, ignoring the pang in her heart.

 **∞o∞**

Henry wrinkled his nose as he entered a back room in Mr. Gold's shop where his mother was working on the potion. "It smells funny."

Regina looked up in surprise and gave him a small smile before turning back to her work. "I know, sweetheart. It's a curse. It's not meant to be pleasant," she explained with a wry look on her face. She stepped back and looked over at him.

"So the potion's finished. Mr. Gold had everything you needed in his shop."

Regina nodded. "Yes. We're almost ready."

There was a long moment of silence, once that left Regina wondering what was going on in her son's mind. It was becoming harder and harder for her to know what he was thinking, something that broke her heart. Finally, Henry spoke. "So this is how you do it. Magic."

Regina nodded. "There are many ways. It's never easy." And it always came with a price.

Henry gave her a long look, one that made her feel uncomfortable. "And have you been using magic?"

Regina looked surprised at his question. She knelt down so that they were at the same eye level, something she often did when she was speaking with her son. It was her way of bringing herself to his level instead of talking down to him. "Henry, I told you I wouldn't. And I haven't. Except for with Daniel. And now." The thought of Daniel made her heart twinge, but she pushed it aside, not wanting Henry to see how it still affected her. Daniel was her past. The boy standing in front of her was her future. She forced herself to smile. "I've really been trying."

To her relief, Henry returned her smile, his eyes soft. "It's okay. At least you're using it to help people now."

His obvious satisfaction with that made Regina want to beam. "I'm trying. And after this, I won't." She meant it, too. She was determined to do what was best for Henry, and that meant giving up magic.

"I know." Henry smiled at his mother, relieved that she was really trying to change.

Turning from Henry, Regina moved back to the potion. She put in one last ingredient, and they watched it glow for a long moment, signaling that it was finished.

When Henry spoke next, Regina heard the quiver in his voice, and understood how worried he was, though he was trying desperately to hide it. "Will David be okay?"

Regina hesitated. She couldn't promise that, and she didn't want to lie to him. At the same time, she didn't want to worry him, so she chose her words carefully. "He'll be…asleep. And in there, he won't die." He would be okay in that sense, at least. "Gold's explaining everything to him right now." Reaching forward, she grabbed the beaker. She held it up and shook it.

Henry didn't seem convinced. "It should be me. I can go in there without a curse and still come back."

Regina set the beaker back and lowered herself again, looking into her son's eyes urgently. "Henry, David and I have many differences, but on this, we agree. We won't let you risk your safety; it's just not worth it."

Henry shook his head, showing the same determination Regina was known for. "It is to me. He won't wake up."

Regina shook her head. Despite how she might have felt about David before the curse broke, things were different now. She had seen Charming and Snow win enough times to know that the odds were in their favor. "Unless it succeeds. And if there's one thing I know about your grandparents, they always find each other."

 **∞o∞**

"What do you mean the old fashioned way?"

"You're about to join a distinguished club, Mr. Nolan," Gold explained calmly, moving to the spinning wheel in the middle of the room, preparing it. "By pricking one's finger on the needle of a spinning wheel, one falls under the spell." He looked over at Regina. "Your majesty, you did his wife. I'm sure you'd like the honors."

Giving him a dirty look, Regina dipped the needle in the potion and placed it on the wheel. Rumple sat down and began to spin before looking up at David. "It's all yours."

Henry stayed where he stood, with Regina's hand on his arm. He smiled up at his grandfather. "Good luck."

David smiled at him. "Its gonna be alright." His gaze moved up to Regina, and he knew that he wanted her to hear those words too. Their earlier conversation replayed in his mind.

 _Then love again._

She met his gaze, and their eyes seemed to be locked on each other. David felt a twinge of…something…at the idea of leaving her alone to deal with all of this. What if Snow wasn't there? What if somehow he didn't wake up?What would Regina do then?

Henry's voice interrupted his thoughts. "How do you know?"

David pushed the negativity away. Snow had never failed him before, and he knew that she wouldn't fail him now. "Well, how did you know Emma would save you after you ate the turnover?"

"I believed in her," Henry said simply.

David smiled at his grandson and leaned over, putting himself on Henry's level in the same way that Regina always did. "The way Snow and I believed she would come back to break the curse. That's the kind of faith that runs in our family." He was careful not to look up at Regina, but he wondered what affect his words would have on her. Unable to help himself, he snuck a look up at her. She seemed as collected as she always was, unbothered by his words. He swallowed the unmistakable disappointment in his throat.

Henry leaned forward and placed a necklace around his neck. "This helps control the flames in the room. It'll keep you safe."

David smiled at him. "I'll guard it with my life." Giving his grandson one last smile, he looked up at Regina. "I'm ready," he said, both to her and to Gold.

Regina squeezed Henry's shoulder reassuringly as David moved forward. He looked up at her, giving her one last long look, and as he did, he reached his hand forward onto the needle. The last thing he saw as his eyes fluttered shut was the worried look on her face.

 **∞o∞**

David looked down at the floor, and his heart sunk at what he saw. The necklace was broken.

Before he could dwell too much on it, he heard a voice from across the room. "Charming? Charming?"

He got to his feet and looked frantically around himself. When his eyes landed on a familiar figure across the room, he smiled. "Snow!"

"I don't understand," Snow said, shaking her head. "Henry should be here."

"We wouldn't let him come back. It's too dangerous," David explained.

Snow smiled at him, tears in her eyes. "You found me."

David shook his head. "You found me. I knew you'd be here."

"I don't know how much time we have." Snow looked panicked at the thought that she would have to leave soon.

"Gold. He says there's a way to stop Cora. We have to stun her like we did him."

"The quill!"

"It wasn't the quill, it was the ink! There's a jar of it in his cell. Get it! Get it, stop her, and come home!"

The smile on Snow's face disappeared, replaced by a suspicious look. "Charming, how are you here? There's no way for you to be here unless…" she trailed off, her look of suspicion melting into one of horror.

David met her eyes. "I had to see you."

Snow looked absolutely horrified. "You're under a sleeping curse."

David nodded. "It was worth it."

"Now you're cursed."

He smiled. "A curse you're gonna break with true love's kiss." He tried to move towards her, but a wall of fire sprang up between them. David refused to let the fire get in the way, so he moved back and began to run, jumping over the flames. When he landed, he stood up and moved to his wife. She reached out to touch him, and the tears pooled over her eyes when she felt his hand touch hers. Moving forward, she wrapped her arms around his middle and leaned up, their lips finally meeting.

When they pulled apart, Snow expected David to disappear, but he remained where he was. Her eyes widened in fear. "Why isn't it working?"

David didn't know how to answer her question, so he pushed away his own fear.

Snow looked up and then back at him, tears filling her eyes. "I'm waking up!"

David knew what that meant. "Defeat Cora and come back to Storybrooke. You can wake me there."

Snow began to cry as she was pulled away from her husband, leaving him behind in that burning room.

 **∞o∞**

"Come on! Come back!" Henry knelt by David's side, searching for any side that his grandfather would be waking up soon. He turned back to look at his mother. "Should he have been in there so long?"

Regina tried to hide her own worry. "I'm sure it's fine. I imagine they're just catching up." She forced herself to smile at Henry, who turned back to his grandfather, convinced by her lie.

Not believing herself, Regina looked over at Gold. He shook his head.

Regina looked back at her son, finally letting herself feel the worry that had been building for the last half an hour. Something was wrong. David should be awake by now. Something was terribly wrong.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey, look! An update that didn't take me two years! Haha I hope you all enjoy it. We have a couple more chapters of going back before we move forward again to the parts of the story you don't all know, which I am most excited for! I hope you all enjoy this update and I'm sure I'll post the next one in a few days! Reviews are movie nights of the extended lord of the rings with a bunch of friends (which I myself am heading off to now).


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